12 month old schedule...

urgh... the search function on this site!!!

anyway... does anyone mind sharing their schedule for a 12 month old... on ONE nap. i'm switching bubs to one nap - 12-2pm? seems to be a lot of extra time in the day! need more snacks during the day?

Here is ours, we still have the morning nap. Our son who is now 2, kept his morning nap until 20 months or so.


7:00 wake up, breast feed

7:30/8:00 breakfast - mixed grain porridge, yogurt, fruit

Play - often quite play, drawing or reading or sitting with some blocks, she isn't too active this time of the morning

9:00 - 10:00 nap (or not - if we are out she is too excited to sleep)

10:00/10:30 snack - banana or cheese or other small snack

11:30 lunch - tofu or chicken or fish, vegetables, rice or noodles

12-2 nap

2:00/2:30 snack - fruit or cheese or other small snack

3:00 - 5:00 - play - different things every day, very active time

5:30 - dinner - similar to lunch

6:00 bath

6:30 breast feed, read books and relax

7:00 bedtime


For activities:

drawing, reading, listening to music, pushing/riding scooter, playing with toys, singing songs, obstacle courses made from furniture/pillows

once a week - swimming, kindermusik, playdates with friends, go out on an activity, etc...


Hope that helps!

yup this is similar to my proposed schedule. but without the morning nap or snack...

i'm still giving 3 bottles though... morning, before midday nap and bedtime. when do we drop the bottles? sure, my baby sips water from a sippy cup, but i couldn't imagine him sitting down to drink a whole cup of milk from it!!

"For activities:

drawing, reading, listening to music, pushing/riding scooter, playing with toys, singing songs, obstacle courses made from furniture/pillows"


Yes. Also baby needs to learn to play alone. If you keep being there he will end up being dependent on company. Not a fun thing when baby turns 2.

"Yes. Also baby needs to learn to play alone. If you keep being there he will end up being dependent on company. Not a fun thing when baby turns 2."


Completely agreed there, and also remember that what works for one will not work for another. All kids at this age have their own characters building and will sleep, eat and interact in different ways. Some are more mature or developed than others. So take advice but don't rely too much on what other people are doing.

yes, same - not morning nap by 12 months for ours - they dropped it about 11 months - lunch 12 nap 12.30 to 2.30 - otherwise same as crj

We dont' do all of those things every day - they are an example of some of the things we do throughout the week hahaha!


trust me, our kids are not entertained 100% of the day, quite often they might be playing in one part of the room, while I am reading a book in another... Often my one year old wanders off to something that interests her and sits quietly playing. Often my two year old says what he wants to do, sometimes he wants to do it alone... and more recently there are times that they like to play together - which is great!


I don't leave them alone too often in a room, as you never know what the 1 year old might climb or eat or when the 2 year old might decide to push her! haha! When we just had one, we left him alone a bit more, with two at this age, we have to keep a closer eye on them.


Also, the times vary a bit day to day +/- 15 minutes or sometimes 30 on the nap, the one year old would be happy going to bed at 12 every day, but sometimes the 2 year old still has some energy to burn!


Regarding the bottle, my suggestion is go cold turkey.

You throw away the bottle with your son, have him help.


Then present milk in a cup with a straw or a sippy cup.

Have the milk accessible to him all day, not just at certain times.


For 3-5 days he might not drink much, and he might cry for his bottle, but don't cave in.... then magic, he picks up the cup and drinks, and from then on out you are fine.


The AAP suggests no bottles after 12 months, and my Dr in HK also suggested this.


Of course, it is up to you, and others will disagree with me.

oh i didn't know about cutting the bottles after 12 months? baby has a sippy cup with the spout that doesn't spill... he has to suck to get the water out. then he has a sippy cup with just the spout and no spill protection. he can use that cup for water and i let him drink from it himself and 30% is in the mouth and 70% is out! i'm not sure about putting milk in it just yet... seems like a big humongous mess to me!

SG, we have not moved from bottle to beaker for milk yet - and mine are 23 months old. Not really that fussed, saw some friends going through the whole drama of getting the off the bottle and some friends who took it easy and at agout 2.5 - 3 yrs had a chat with their kids and they just gave up bottle without any fuss. So am thinking of giveing it another few months and then do it. I dont really see why they say 12 months? they still have to suck the straw/beaker - what is the difference? Mine drink water and juice (dilluted) from the beaker or straw cup - so they only have milk twice a day - am and before bed from bottle - less than 5 min on it every time - so I am not sure whether it is such a problem.

All I am saying, dont worry about it too much..

right ldsllvn! I dont understand why by 12 months baby should be able to do this and that, if not, got to teach teach teach teach and some parents frowns when they see my 15 months not sucking his water from the straw cup but drink like we the adults (but me holding the cup)... they asked :doesnt' he knows how to suck from the straw?".... no, he doesn't and he doesn't like it, he wants to drink from the cup the way his parents does!

I agree with PDNS. Kids want to do what their parents do.


Our #1 drank out of a normal glass from about 17 months. Our #2 was on the sippy at 11 months. She now also tries a glass.


"saw some friends going through the whole drama of getting the off the bottle and some friends who took it easy and at agout 2.5 - 3 yrs had a chat with their kids and they just gave up bottle without any fuss"


We never felt it was any drama. Kids want to learn. But on the other hand this is very individual.



Having said all that, the pre-bed bottle is still a bottle with a nipple even for our 2½ year old.



"he can use that cup for water and i let him drink from it himself and 30% is in the mouth and 70% is out!"


Hehe. Letting them make a mess is part of them learning.

This is what I read from the AAP and what our Dr told us, of course every doctor and family are different, but I'll share the information we had.


The reason for stopping the bottle is partly about tooth decay, partly that it is easier at 12 months than 2/3 years (as they become more attached to it as a security), partly healthy skill development.

(another reason, it made it much easier for us! - but that isn't medical :)


If you do continue a bottle at bedtime, ideally it should just be water. If it is milk, be sure to rinse the baby/toddler's mouth out with water to help prevent tooth decay. The child should be getting all of their nutrients during the day through meals and milk in a cup/sippy cup/cup with a straw.


There is lots of information on the web.


http://www.babycenter.com/408_when-should-i-stop-giving-my-baby-a-bedtime-bottle_1368536.bc

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/feeding/no_bottles.html

http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=355

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/152/9/889


It is not something you need to stress over and loose sleep, but it is something you can opt to plan for and take action when you are comfortable doing so.


BTW, we tried sippy cups with my son, but found a cup with a straw worked much better. Both my kids (1 and 2) use a cup with a straw, and my 2 year old also drinks from a regular cup by himself, my 1 year old drinks from a regular cup with help... and of course they both love drinking whatever I am drinking from my cup!


good luck with whatever you decide, you have a variety of opinions here to reflect upon.

PDNS - I am totally with you on that one!! People make their life harder than it has to be when it comes to such small things! Has anyone seen a child going to school with a bottle? No, dont think so - they will all get there!

Dont get me wrong - I am very strict when it comes to routine - mine are Gina Ford babies and we love it - but when it comes to giving up bottle, feeding themselves, etc - we try, but we dont stress if it does not work...



Also - I really dont understand what is the difference of giving milk in bottle from giving it in a straw cup? Tooth decay with one and not the other? Dont think so... :(

"- they will all get there!"


Sure. But if your kids want to try a glass, why not? We didn't have to force our kids to use a glass. They took to it enthusiastically. A 12 month old will happily point to your glass. Let him/her try. He/she will dribble most of it, but that's just they way they learn.


It didn't feel like hard work on our part at all.

Hi Shasimi Girl, my 12 month old bub is roughly the following schedule:


7.30am-8am - Wake. Feed Milk

8.15-9am - Breakfast cereal. before this, play toys.

9.30am - I try to bring him out as often as i can for grocery shopping or breakfast (me) outside. usually will be out for an hour or more.

11.30am - 12 noon - lunch. oh mine..this can stretch up to an hour!

nap (only one nap now!) - i find his nap doesn't fit a specific time, though he used to be a Gina Ford baby. i m pretty relax about it as to when he is tired. the nap can start from 12.30pm to 3.30pm! so really depends on him. the nap ranges mostly 1.5 hour. sometimes 2 hours to 2.5 hours. but i sure wake him at 5pm, or latest 5.30pm.


5pm - 5.30pm - dinner. play time again before dinner if there is time.


After Dinner - i recently started to bring him to playground for around 45 min or so.


bath - 6.3pm to 7pm.


sleep - usually around 8.30pm. before that, after bath, stay in bedroom for book reading, or for him to cruise in cot till he is tired.

We can't do "variable time naps". If they sleep too long in the afternoon, they will not fall asleep around bedtime and become cranky. If they fall asleep too late, they are tired the morning after. But that's just our kids. Your results may vary.

My kid also went down to one nap about 1 yo -- she's 1.5 now, but her schedule hasn't changed dramatically since then:


wake up: btwn 5:30 and 6:30 am

Drinks some milk mixed with OJ [she can't stand plain milk], plays with her Papa,

eats some breakfast

Mama wakes up and showers: btwn 7:00 and 7:30

Has a few bites of Mama's breakfast, plays on her own or brings books for us to read

to her

Papa showers and gets ready for work: btwn 7:30 and 8:00

Gets dressed [needs help in both getting dressed and in remembering that she needs

clothes other than shoes!] and ready to go out by about 8:30

Papa off to work; Mama takes kiddo to the park:8:30

Plays at the park: 8:30-11:30

Playing at the park tends to include: looking at fish, watching tai chi-ers or old

ladies dancing; dropping rocks into the water; kicking a ball; sitting quietly

studying rocks and leaves; calling to birds; running; climbing; some interactions

with strange kids; meeting up with her friends and playing in parallel [currently

toy cars and baby doll push prams are all the rage; a month ago it was popcorn

poppers and toy mobile phones and trading shoes]. She also gets a snack while

we're at the park -- I find that veggie pancakes cut up into squares and eaten

with a toothpick are a big hit with her at this particular time of day, but if we are

out of them, fruit or crackers or some combination. Also, water at will. And we

have an indoor playroom in the complex in the event of inclement weather.

Home for lunch: btwn 11:30 and 12:00 [she tends to be happier towards 11:30, but

one of the kids that we meet often in the park is the little girl across the hall

from us who is happier towards 12:00, and since they really, really like to walk

home together...]

As soon as we get home, she takes her shoes off and then we wash hands. If Ayi

has lunch ready, we eat immediately [much more important when she was

closer to 1 than it is at 1.5]; otherwise reads books with Mama until lunch.

After lunch, might play for a while, but generally calls to Ayi for her nap -- they look

out the window at trees and birds, watch people and cars going by downstairs,

then settles in on Ayi's lap to listen to music until she falls asleep.

Naps rarely last more than 1.5 hours -- 1.0 hr is more typical, but steadily inching

upwards from 0.5 hrs when she was 1yo [also corresponds to sleeping much

better at night -- she had an incredibly difficult time learning to sleep -- went

through a phase where if she slept for more than 20 mins at one stretch we'd

have had a celebration if anyone in the house could have summoned up the

energy].

After her nap, Ayi gives her a snack and talks to her for a while; then she plays by

herself while Ayi is doing chores or prepping for dinner. Colors, plays with

blocks, rides her little car around, talks to herself, looks at books, generally runs

amok.

Brings shoes to Ayi and starts demanding "Jie-jie wan(r) wan(r)" [Let's go outside

and play!] at some point between 3:00 - 4:00

Home for dinner about 5:30 [Mama prepares this]

Same pre-lunch routine -- take off shoes, wash hands

Mama feeds her dinner while Ayi is making dinner; she often has a few bites of

whatever we are having for dinner as it is ready.

Bath, brush teeth, pajamas, sleeping bag, chats with Mama, reads books and/or sings

songs.

When she is ready, she calls Ayi over to put her to bed. Same routine as pre-nap,

but with the addition of watching the kids on the basketball court outside the

kitchen window for a while and demanding a drink of water. Usually asleep

between 7:00-7:30


Much more detail than you wanted, I'm sure. Funny thing is that she only wants to be with the person that she associates with the time period during that time period -- if Ayi tries to tell me something while she is having her bath, she throws a holy fit; if her Papa is away on business, she has no interest whatsoever in milk or breakfast, just wants to go outside and play; if I try to put her down to sleep or try to take her out to play in the afternoon she cries for Ayi instead.


Agree with the too variable naptime bad results -- if our kid goes down for her noon nap late and hasn't woken up by 3:00, I ask Ayi to wake her up -- otherwise, she wants to stay up late, wakes up several times throughout the night, and tends to be up for the day by 5am.


Another thing -- if we travel or she gets sick, she still tends to revert to two naps [or more!] throughout the day, but as long as we keep her bedtime routine close to normal she is quite happy.

thank you Z!!! great response, and no, not too much detail at all! seems like two outings to the park is a great way to spend the day. you must have a great park near your place. in fact, are the parks in BJ better than HK? what about the quality of life in general for kids?

also your veggie pancakes sound interesting. could you PM me the recipe if you have time?!!

my baby is transitioning well to 1 nap a day. it's generally between 12 and 2pm. and by 7pm he is quite tired but not too cranky. i've found he's been sleeping SO much better these days on one nap. although fingers crossed, i don't want to jinx it!

Just sent you a pm with veg pancake recipe.


Not at all familiar with HK -- just sent out a thread asking for advice on what to do there with a 1.5 yo -- but chose our latest apartment here based on proximity to our favorite park in BJ -- Ritan Park. Lots of people prefer Chaoyang park, and I guess there isn't anything wrong with it, but somehow we tend to get scolded less by strangers in Ritan Park. By scolded, I mean in particular by old Chinese ladies who can't believe that I'm taking my baby outside in shorts, not two layers of long underwear on a 27C day.


Like BJ a lot; only worry about bad air quality, traffic jams/bad drivers and taking kids around in taxis w/o carseats [I know better, but very few seatbelts in the back, and then having to cart around a baby and a carseat just too impractical so we compromise by doing whatever we can to take public transport or feet instead of taxis]. Second kid due in September, but first seems to be quite happy. Like the fact that she is picking up Mandarin along with English -- hope that we can stay long enough for kids to become literate as well.


Totally understand about kids who don't like to sleep -- ours went through a truly horrible phase where she just couldn't manage to sleep more than 20 mins at a stretch during the day, so I have an enormous library of baby sleep books and a detailed plan on how to encourage #2 to sleep better than #1.

Hi Z..ur veg pancake receipe for me too pls...


thanks a lot

Hi Z - I would love your veggie pancake recipe, especially in Chinese if you have it :)


We are in BJ too, and love Ritan Park, although we live near ChaoYang Park - hahaha

Sent pm to each of you; sorry no Chinese version [it's actually not much of a recipe; more of an approximation].

can i have your veggi pancake recipe as well Z?! Thanks. My daughter is 20.5 months - need something new to tempt her.

Actually, why don't I just post it here? Sorry to hijack



Our veggie pancakes are loosely based on Lisa Barnes's Petit Appetit cookbook, but what I actually do is to get together about 3 cups of cooked chopped veggies [depending on what looks good or what we have on hand; I often use a combo of fresh/frozen and try to get as much variety as I can into a given batch -- and I'll often add some shelled edamame for extra protein -- broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers, carrots, corn, mushrooms, spinach, etc.]. You can also add a bit of onion/garlic if your kid likes that taste. Add a bit of oil or melted butter [1/4 cup] and flour [2/3 cup; I generally use a combination of cornmeal and all-purpose white plus any sort of herb/spice/salt that your kid might like; I don't generally add anything], then mix well to get the veggies all coated. To this, add a mixture of 1 beaten egg and 1/4 cup milk and mix thoroughly.


Now the measurements I gave you are from Petit Appetit; I actually tend to cook by eye, so what you are looking for is a mixture that seems more like coated veggies than like batter, but sticks together enough to form patties in a skillet. Too wet, add more flour or some mashed sweet potato; too dry, add more milk.


Cook over medium heat 2-3 min per side [just getting a little brown, but clearly cooked all the way through -- turn down the heat if they seem too well done on the outside but still raw in the middle, turn it up a bit if they don't ever get brown. I use a teflon skillet and a wee bit of butter and make pancakes about the size of my palm, then when all the pancakes are done, I layer them like hamburger patties on waxed paper and wrap sets of 5-6 in foil then put into the freezer. That way I can thaw 1-2 at a time [I microwave a bit and then put into the toaster oven; sometimes put a little cheese on top].

thanks a lot Z!

Z - forgot to ask. What's Edamame?

"What's Edamame?"


Soybeans in the pod prepared by boiling (I think). Very Japanese. You can find it in some supermarkets, and of course in many Japanese restaurants.


An old colleague of mine called it "nature's potato chip". ;)